In this week's November Budget, the UK Chancellor has left us in no doubt - punish landlords and reward property developers.

Warning: this is a lengthy but important post. If you are at all involved in property investment, or thinking about it, read on.

Building good, renting bad

The UK Chancellor Phillip Hammond this week made it very clear that a key objective of this government is to build houses. And build at a rate last seen in the 1970's. Substantial funding and support is being offered to developers to build the 300,000 annual homes construction targets. We applaud this but we as investors need to adapt - and quickly.

This government strategy includes continued support for corporate "Build to Rent" (B2R) developments, which we believe puts further long-term pressure on small private landlords to compete and make a living.

"Hooray! It's not worse"

Some commentators are suggesting that because no further punitive measures have been placed on Landlords this time round, this is to be celebrated. Unfortunately the reality is, in the last two years so much damage has been done the message to private BTL investors is sadly clear: "you're not welcome".

I'm of course talking about:

the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge for second homes (primarily affecting buy to let investors trying to grow their businesses);

the devastating changes to taxation of mortgage interest for private landlords;

the emergence of trial rent controls (expect this not to go away!);

the "demonisation" of landlords in the media;

the growing frustration of Generation Rent desperate to get on the housing ladder.

So it is clearly government policy: we can expect to see the rise of many small and medium-sized property developers, and the decline of small-scale private landlords as they are forced out financially and replaced on the whole by (albeit largely middle-class) first-time buyers.

The problem is that development funding is today still hard to find, and despite government money, this is likely to remain a major bottleneck for getting builders to build. The need for private funding for developers through crowdfunding, property bonds and good old-fashioned joint venture partnerships is going to become more important to the government vision than ever before.

"Whatever your political view on this, it would seen very sensible for property investors to recognise this sea-change quickly and look to either build property, or finance those who do."

Which team would you rather be on - the aided or the persecuted?

It is time for landlords to review their long-term strategies, especially if they do not currently include adding "asset value" by developing, extending or carrying out major refurbishments. For a growing number of property investors, buy-and-hold residential letting is no longer the Holy Grail it used to be, and may never be again.

In the light of government-backed "landlord persecution" some landlords have pledged to sell their portfolios, but may have no clear plans where to invest the profits.

As a business, our focus is set firmly in line with the government camp, at least as far as supporting development is concerned. We support small developers by connecting them with investors large and small through Property Bonds, Crowdfunding, and other collaborative ventures such as student room ownership in new purpose-built student accommodation. We have been doing this for a decade and long before it was fashionable. We believe in wealth creation through property now more than ever.

Here's one example of how investors can profit from great UK property developers today. It's possible to invest in midlands-based Godwin Capital from just £5k and enjoy double-digit fixed annual income through property plus your capital returned in two years. All without the need to lift even a hammer.

With us living longer, pension funds are not giving many of us the financial future we planned for, and other ways are often sought to grow financial nest-eggs to top up that future income. Bank savings accounts aren’t delivering on that either.

So is there a place in a portfolio for Property Bonds - for those of us that would rather be the lender than the property developer?

With good Property Bonds, you team up with an established property developer in a Joint Venture. But there are none of the set-up costs for the bond holder that you would normally associate with a direct property development project, or the advisor fees that come with buying traditional regulated investments: all of your capital goes to work for you.

Here are a few other key reasons to consider profiting from Property Bonds:

Property is seen as a secure asset class and with not enough homes being built in the UK demand continually outstrips the supply.

There are more and more obstacles in directly owning investment property. Heavier taxation for residential investment property and reduction of tax reliefs for expenses; difficulty in raising mortgage finance for buy- to-let; dealing with tenants; licensing; regulation, the possibility of rent controls; the list goes on). Many property investors are looking for less hassle and more profit: being the lender, not the landlord.

As part of this movement, investors who are cash-rich and time-poor are looking to partner with developers by lending rather than getting directly involved in the day-to-day running of projects.

In uncertain economic times a predictable fixed income for a known period of time has much appeal.

Whilst no investment is risk-free and they're not for everyone, a well-chosen Property Bond can offer credible security and a practical exit strategy should things go wrong with the developer.

Learn how to spot a good property bond, and those to avoid. All this and more is covered in our Property Bonds guide - grab your copy today:

Richard will explain the current trends in disruptive finance for property developers, where crowd funding is going and what are the opportunities for the future.

These quarterly HighGround Investor Network events in London are attended by an exclusive group of property investors, ensuring you have the perfect opportunity to rub shoulders with like-minded people in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Don't miss out! The venue is the stunning Thistle Hyde Park Hotel. Close to the tube, and with networking and hot & cold buffet served during the evening.

Early Bird tickets are still on sale now but are limited in availability. I recommend you book your priority ticket(s) now to avoid disappointment:

I'm delighted to tell about our London Autumn Networking evening - on Thursday the 12th October.

Joining us will be our special guest Andrew Mitchell of Godwin Developments who will tell us about the history of this fascinating business and what makes them so successful as a developer.

As Investment Director of finance arm Godwin Capital No 1, Andrew will also discuss how they successfully attract developer capital from private investors. There will be plenty of time for quality networking and Q&A.

These quarterly HighGround Investor Network events in London are attended by an exclusive group of experienced investors, ensuring you have the perfect opportunity to rub shoulders with like-minded people in a relaxed and friendly environment.

I hope you can join us? The venue is the lovely Thistle Hyde Park Hotel with networking and hot & cold buffet served from 6.30pm.

As one of our most loyal subscribers, I'm pleased to offer you priority booking at our Autumn event, and the first opportunity to secure an Early Bird ticket today. Our aim as always is to provide high-quality events of true value to serious investors with a special interest in property.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now but are limited in availability. Therefore I recommend you book your priority ticket(s) now to avoid disappointment:

Looking forward to seeing you there, for what promises once again to be a valuable and enjoyable evening.

Manchester property is booming and our friends and partners Beech Holdings are at the forefront of this revolution in the city centre.

Our site visit to Beech Holdings earlier this month, following the very successful London presentation from Stephen Beech really does bear this out: the developer's strong and steady expansion both in refurbishment and lettings, seemingly shows a Beech-owned property on every Manchester city-centre street corner that matters!

To discover how to qualify to invest in the success of Stephen Beech and his Manchester team using their established fixed-return, fixed term investment opportunity, grab a copy of the investment guide today ...

As you probably saw from our last post, award-winning Manchester property developer Stephen Beech and Beech Holdings now enjoy an enviable reputation as a developer and highly popular with tenants for quality residential lettings.

If the short Beech Holdings video we posted got your interest, then sit down, grab a tea or coffee and dig a little deeper with the full version.

This all-new 17-minute video documentary explores all about the Beech Holdings story and the secrets of their outstanding success in Manchester... Chances are you'll be hooked in 30 seconds!

Inspiring? To find out more about Beech Holdings and the opportunities they offer to investors, grab your copy of their investor guide here:

Watch out for further updates from us about Beech Holdings coming soon.

We were delighted to see a great turnout for our London seminar last Thursday. If you missed it, and the opportunity to hear our award winning partners Beech Holdings tell their success story, then read on...

As well as some great networking, attendees gathered to hear from award-winning Manchester property entrepreneur Stephen Beech (pictured) to tell us his story of starting from nothing and building a multi-million pound range of property businesses.

The Beech Group now enjoy an enviable reputation as a developer and highly popular with tenants for quality residential lettings.

For those that missed the opportunity on the night, here is a great introduction to the impact Beech Holdings are making on the Central Manchester property scene:

Stephen's strong track record for successfully taking unloved office buildings in Manchester city centre and bringing them back to life as high-specification apartments aimed at young professionals, is opening progressively wider doors.

To find out more about Beech Holdings and the opportunities they offer to investors, grab your copy of their guide here:

Watch out for further updates from us about Beech Holdings coming soon.

As we wake this morning to yet more political uncertainty in the UK with the likelihood of a hung parliament, it's reassuring to remember that UK property investment has shown itself ultimately unshakable even in times of uncertainty.

Property, this remarkable asset class, has historically weathered every political and economic storm that has battered the UK's shores in modern times.

The reason - that we all need a roof over our heads - seems obvious but also reassuring. Reassuring that despite the posturing of the political classes as we see in government now, despite the political attacks on landlords to win votes, the value of property continues to thrive. Not just monetary value, but value as a nest egg for individuals, couples and families simply trying to provide a comfortable retirement for themselves and their loved ones through property investment.

No waves battering the shore of Britannia are ever likely to shake the security and comfort of property portfolio ownership.

Check out one of our most popular additions to any secure and stable property investment portfolio, whether investing from the UK or globally.

Property Bonds provide fixed income secured through property, with the comfort of return of capital in full after a fixed time period. Their relatively low cost allows even the small investor to build a diverse portfolio and spread their capital over a range of property opportunities. Download our Property Bonds guide to discover more.

With any investment it's crucial to look beyond the headine figures and take the time to "look under the hood" as well. This is very much the case when it comes to Property Bonds.

The key players you should expect to see in a good property bond offering are:

A capable, experienced property development team with a strong track record of successful projects of a similar nature.

A legal team to:

Draw up the agreement between Bond Issuer and the developer, and the agreement between the Bond Issuer and the investor.

Operate the Escrow account and ensure that all funds transferred between it and the developer are secured by developer’s assets.

A specialist administrative team to manage the payments to investors.

A Bond Issuer company with a strong track record of successful projects to:

Act as the intermediary between investor and borrower.

Independently represent the investors’ interests.

Some property developers with little or no understanding of investors needs, will try to do most or all this in-house usually cutting plenty of corners in the process. When you see this, run for the hills.

Learn how to spot a good-looking property bond, and those to run away from. Download our bonds guide today:

Crowdfunding is a popular way for would-be property investors to share in property developers' profits by lending them development funds. Results can be good, but wouldn't a "set-and-forget" fixed return be even better for the investor?

Speculation is often considered to be a higher risk activity than investment. We'll be covering this whole subject in future posts on Investment Education.

In the world of property bonds it's extremely rare to find an established Property peer-to-peer lending platform that offers a mini-bond to allow a truly "hands-free" investment into secured property developer loans.

In general, using bonds offers a potential way of turning speculation (such as those P2P lending opportunities with no defined return) into an investment, for those that see investment as a far safer option.

Here's an example. The Saving Stream 5-year Bond allows investors to indirectly participate in the P2P marketplace without any active management. Proceeds of each subscription for Saving Stream Bonds will be used to make loans on the Lendy Limited P2P platform. Investors will NOT become lenders on the P2P platform.

All loans made in this way are used to fund either bridging finance or development finance.

Rate of interest - 7% per annum, paid in quarterly installments from the date of issue of the Saving Stream Bond until the date of redemption.

Who can take up these bonds? Qualifying Individuals, companies, charities and corporations subject to local restrictions and to submission of approved anti-money laundering documentation. At the time of issue the Saving Stream Bond can be placed in a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). However, we strongly recommend that applicants seek advice as to whether the specific terms of your arrangements permit this type of investment.

To discover more about how Saving Stream works, download the brochure today:

All opinions offered are expressly generic and do not constitute financial advice. UK Investors should always consult with an advisor authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) before making specific investment decisions.